it's hard to believe that it's been over a month since my last blog post! it was april then, and me and frank were just about to move. while the move was just down the street and around the corner, it was more of a headache than we thought. we wrongly assumed that since the move was short we could totally rent a uhaul and move ourselves - dur! i waited until the day before we moved to pack up the kitchen because i was testing and shooting recipes for the cookbook . plus, we were sandwiched between the new tenant moving into our old place, and the old tenant moving out of our new apartment, so we kind of made a mad dash of it piling everything into the uhaul and our car at the last minute. i was that crazy lady in the VW convertible doing laps around the block with plants and chairs, and boxes of cookbooks hanging out of the roof, while people looked on thinking i was nutso.

anyway, it's been a blast so far having a backyard(!!!) and quint (our pup) is LOVING it! he chases squirrels and cats all day long, hunts bugs, eats dirt, and sunbaths like a boss! frank has totally surprised me by how handy he is in the garden, and how determined he is to clean that yard up! so far he's found an old radiator, pounds and pounds of buried bricks, broken statues, and some rusty pipes; we're still trying to figure how all that random stuff made its way here! while it's been great having a outside space, it's even more awesome being able to tend to something that was in dire need of some major tlc - something about the process of making a space over, making it your own, is really gratifying on such a basic level.

speaking of gratifying, this salad! asparagus is one of my all time favorite vegetables, so when it's fresh at the market i'm buying it all up! this is more of a throw-it-together kind of meal, the kind i do for lunch most days, with leftover this, some greens, and always an egg. i almost always roast or top sautéed asparagus with a drizzle of really good aged balsamic vinegar, something about the sweet acidic bite it gives is just too good! i mixed it here with a mesclun mix, some leftover pea shoots, and (game-changing!) fried capers. bon appetit's perfectly runny, but cooked 7-minute egg is something i've been practicing to make for a while, and i've finally figured out how to remove the shell from the egg without the white coming along with it (instructions below!)! it's all about the little things, guys ;)

method

preheat oven to 400° F. in a baking dish, toss together asparagus, 2 teaspoons oil, and balsamic, season with salt and pepper. roast for 10 minutes, until tender.

while asparagus is roasting, fry the capers. toss the capers and cornmeal together. heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in small skillet over medium, once hot add the capers; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, until crisp and cornmeal coating is golden. use a slotted spoon to transfer to a paper towel lined plate; set aside.

prepare an ice bath, set aside. fill a small saucepan 3/4 of the way with water and bring to a boil; gently lower eggs into the water and let it come back to a boil. lower to a rolling simmer and time eggs for 7 minutes. use a slotted spoon and transfer eggs to the ice bath. let eggs cool for at least 5 minutes. use the back of a spoon to tap and crack the shell, rinse eggs and slice in half.

in a large serving bowl, toss greens with lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper. serve salad with roasted asparagus, fried capers, and sliced eggs. top with herb flowers and serve warm.